2006 in Review: An Electronic Time Capsule

1. January 5th Sago Mine Disaster
April 10th Immigration Protests
May 5th Enron Trial
June 7th Al-Zarqawi Killed
July 7th World Cup Final
July 12th Israel-Hezbollah War
August 2nd Tainted Spinach
2006 IN REVIEW: August 10th Trans-Atlantic Plot Foiled
AN ELECTRONIC August 16th
August 31st
JonBenet Ramsey Arrest
Iran Nuclear Standoff
TIME CAPSULE September 4th ‘Crocodile Hunter’ Killed
October 2nd Amish School Shooting
October 9th North Korea Nuclear Test
October 11th Yankee Plane Crash
November 4th Megachurch Preacher Scandal
November 5th Saddam Hussein Verdict
Click on a date or event to read the story »
November 7th Democrats Win Midterm Elections
November 23rd Ex-Russian Spy Poisoned

2. Sago Mine Disaster
January 5th Event Description
Joy turned to sorrow in three short hours for relatives of a
dozen men trapped in the Sago Mine in West Virginia. Just
before midnight January 4, miners' families thought the
men had survived their ordeal. One miner was rushed to a
hospital as church bells rang in celebration for their
survival. But by 3 a.m. January 5, a mine official said there
had been a tragic "miscommunication," and that the other
12 were dead after 41 hours underground.
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3. Immigration Protests
April 10th Event Description
Hundreds of thousands of protesters turned out in more
than 140 cities in at least 39 states, demanding that the
nation's estimated 11 million to 12 million undocumented
immigrants get a chance to live the American dream. In
Washington, the House and Senate passed vastly different
versions of immigration reform, but a comprehensive bill
proved elusive before the November midterms. Instead,
Congress approved a 700-mile fence along one-third of
the U.S.-Mexico border, which Bush signed into law 12
days before the election.
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4. Enron Trial
May 5th Event Description
After four years of investigations, 16 weeks of testimony
and six days of jury deliberations, Enron former Chief
Executive Jeffrey Skilling and founder Kenneth Lay were
found guilty of conspiracy and fraud. The former
executives were convicted of misleading the public about
the financial health of Enron, whose 2001 collapse
symbolized a wave of corporate fraud that swept the
country. Lay, 64, died of coronary disease on July 5 while
awaiting sentencing. Skilling was sentenced to 24 years in
prison on October 23.
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5. Al-Zarqawi Killed
June 7th Event Description
Two 500-pound bombs ended the hunt for Abu Musab al-
Zarqawi, the most-wanted insurgent in Iraq. Acting on a
maze of intelligence and tips, the military targeted a "safe
house" north of Baquba in which the leader of al Qaeda in
Iraq was staying. Air Force F-16 warplanes launched the
bombs, reducing the house to rubble. A Jordanian-born
Sunni militant with a $25 million U.S. bounty on his head,
al-Zarqawi was believed to have the blood of thousands on
his hands as leader of the group behind numerous
beheadings, assassinations and bombings.
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6. World Cup Final
July 7th Event Description
Italy won a penalty shootout 5-3 to lift the World Cup for
the fourth time after Zinedine Zidane was sensationally
sent off for head-butting Marco Materazzi. The French
captain was shown the red card in the final match of his
career near the end of the final, which was tied 1-1 after
extra time. A few months later, Materazzi broke his
silence, telling Gazzetta dello Sport it was a remark he
made about Zidane's sister that provoked the incident.
Materazzi said that when Zidane offered to give him his
France jersey in response to persistent shirt-tugging by
the Italian, he had replied: "I would prefer your sister."
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7. Israeli-Hezbollah War
July 12th Event Description
Israel launched a series of bombing raids into Lebanon
after Hezbollah forces crossed into Israel, killing three
soldiers and abducting two more, a move the Israeli prime
minister called an "act of war." A month later, a cease-fire
took effect, and displaced civilians began returning home.
About a million people on each side of the border were
displaced, officials said. The conflict left 908 dead and
3,877 wounded in Lebanon, and 159 dead and more than
1,000 wounded in Israel, authorities in the two countries
said.
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8. Tainted Spinach
August 2nd Event Description
An outbreak of E. coli bacteria in spinach killed at least
three people and sickened 199 others in 26 states. An
elderly Nebraska woman, a Wisconsin adult and a 2-year-
old Idaho boy died in the outbreak, which was found to
originate in spinach grown in three California counties.
Federal officials said they determined that the first illness
happened August 2, and recommended that consumers
steer clear of any raw spinach. Across the country, the
leafy green disappeared from grocery shelves and salad
bars as producers recalled shipments.
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9. Trans-Atlantic Plot Foiled
August 10th Event Description
Terrorists were in the "final stages" of a plot to
simultaneously blow up as many as 10 jets leaving Britain
for the United States when British and Pakistani authorities
teamed up to thwart the attacks, officials said. It was
believed the plotters planned to mix a sports drink with a
gel-like substance to make a potent explosive that could
be ignited with an MP3 player or cell phone. News of the
plot created travel chaos, as flights were canceled and
passengers were forbidden from bringing liquids on board.
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10. JonBenet Ramsey Arrest
August 16th Event Description
John Mark Karr was arrested in Thailand in connection
with the murder of JonBenet Ramsey, a 6-year-old beauty
pageant contestant whose beaten and strangled body was
found in the basement of her family's Colorado home 10
years ago. Karr, 41, told reporters he was with JonBenet
the night she died and that her death was an accident.
Karr was extradited to Colorado, but his admission only
deepened speculation about whether the soft-spoken
schoolteacher committed the crime. Almost two weeks
later, officials abandoned their case against Karr after DNA
tests failed to link him to the case.
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11. Iran Nuclear Standoff
August 31st Event Description
Iran defied a United Nations deadline calling for the
Islamic republic to halt its nuclear activities or face
sanctions. Tehran insists its program is for peaceful
purposes only, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has
vowed not to give in to Western interests. But the Bush
administration suspects Iran is using its nuclear program
to develop weapons, and President Bush has called for
worldwide isolation of Iran until it "gives up its nuclear
ambitions." China and Russia -- both veto-wielding
members of the Security Council -- have been reluctant to
sanction Iran, and Moscow proceeded with arms deals
with Tehran.
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12. ‘Crocodile Hunter’ Killed
September 4th Event Description
Steve Irwin, the enthusiastic "Crocodile Hunter" who
enthralled audiences around the world with his wildlife
adventures, was killed by a stingray barb that pierced his
chest while he was shooting a TV program on the Great
Barrier Reef off the northeast coast of Australia. Irwin, 44,
is survived by his wife, Terri, and their two children, Bindi
Sue and Robert. "The world has lost a great wildlife icon, a
passionate conservationist and one of the proudest dads
on the planet," Irwin's manager and friend John Stainton
told reporters. "He died doing what he loved best."
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13. Amish School Shooting
August 2nd Event Description
A heavily armed truck driver barricaded himself in a one-
room Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania, killing five girls
execution-style before killing himself, police said. The killer
told his wife he had molested children 20 years ago and
was dreaming about doing it again. He brought lubricant
to the schoolhouse, but there was no evidence the victims
were sexually assaulted. It was the nation's third deadly
school shooting in a week. In Colorado, a 53-year-old man
sexually assaulted hostages before killing a 16-year-old
student and then himself. And a high school student in
Wisconsin was suspected of killing his principal after being
disciplined for carrying tobacco.
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14. North Korea Nuclear Test
October 9th Event Description
North Korea's official news agency reported the country
had performed a successful underground nuclear test. Five
days later, the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to
impose sanctions on North Korea as punishment for the
test. North Korea rejected the resolution and walked out of
the Security Council chamber. The test came three months
after North Korea test-fired six missiles, including a long-
range Taepodong-2 rocket believed capable of reaching
the western United States. The Taepodong rocket failed
after 40 seconds, but the United States denounced the
tests as "provocative."
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15. Yankee’s Plane Crash
October 11th Event Description
New York Yankees' pitcher Cory Lidle was killed when his
plane crashed into a Manhattan high-rise and burst into
flames. The National Transportation Safety Board's
preliminary report said a slight wind and a tight turning
radius were factors in the crash, which also killed flight
instructor Tyler Stanger. Investigators have not
determined who was flying the plane at the time of the
accident. One resident of the apartment building was
seriously burned when the plane crashed into her
apartment on 30th floor. Lidle had just finished the 2006
season with a 12-10 record.
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16. Megachurch Preacher Scandal
November 4th Event Description
The Rev. Ted Haggard was forced to resign as leader of
the Colorado megachurch he started more than 20 years
ago after its investigative board said he was guilty of
"sexually immoral conduct." In a letter to members of his
New Life Church, Haggard admitted to "sexual immorality"
and called himself "a deceiver and a liar." He also admitted
to buying methamphetamine. The scandal became public
when Mike Jones, a former prostitute, told reporters
Haggard paid him for sex over three years. Jones said he
spoke out because of Haggard's support for a state
amendment banning same-sex marriage.
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17. Saddam Hussein Verdict
November 5th Event Description
Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and two other
defendants were sentenced to death by hanging for a
brutal 1982 crackdown in the Shiite town of Dujail. Hussein
was executed December 30 and was buried the next day in
the same cemetery as his sons, who were killed in a 2003
firefight with U.S. forces. Since Hussein was toppled as
Iraq's leader, the country has been plagued by insurgent
and sectarian violence, and some are calling it a civil war. A
December report by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group called
the situation "grave and deteriorating" and recommended
changes in U.S. policy.
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18. Ex-Russian Spy Poisoned
November 23rd Event Description
Former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko died in a London
hospital on November 23; large doses of polonium-210
were found in his body. Litvinenko, 43, was a longtime
critic of the Russian government, which he blamed for his
sudden, fatal illness. Russian authorities denied any role.
Traces of the radioactive material have been found at
Litvinenko's home, places he ate and where he held
meetings just before falling ill, authorities say. Traces also
were reported on British Airways planes, a London soccer
stadium and the British Embassy in Moscow. British police
said they are treating the death as a murder.
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19. Democrats Win Midterm Elections
November 7th Event Description
Democrats took control of both the House of
Representatives and the Senate for the first time in a
dozen years in the 2006 U.S. midterm elections, and
President Bush and top Democrats quickly promised to get
along despite a rancorous campaign. The election results
were seen as a referendum on Bush, the war in Iraq and
congressional scandals. The day after the vote, Bush
announced that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld would
be stepping down by the end of the year.
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